Tuesday Talkback: Share your pack and troop’s fundraising secrets

At offices everywhere, parents peddle pizza dough, flower bulbs, Christmas wreaths and more to their coworkers in the name of financing their kids’ extracurricular activities. It seems every orchestra, soccer team and stamp-collecting club in a 50-mile radius wants your money.

In this sometimes-cutthroat world, surely there’s a way for packs and troops to make their fundraisers stand out from the crowd. But how?

Scouters who have come before you have had success with two types of fundraisers: events and product sales.

Once you’ve filled out a Unit Money-Earning Application (PDF), your fundraising options are practically limitless. You’ll want to look for something that offers a low upfront cost and a healthy percentage of profits for your unit.

And location matters, too. I’m interested in learning where packs and troops had the most success selling. Did setting up booths outside of grocery stores work? Or was pounding the pavement a better strategy?

Discussion questions for today’s Tuesday Talkback:

Which kinds of fundraisers have been most successful in your unit, event-based or product-based? Why?

Which products sell the best, and why?

Which fundraisers have you given up on because they didn’t work, and why?

Where did you have the most success selling?

How do you decide what to sell or what kinds of events to plan? Were Scouts involved in the decision?

Do Scouts get a portion of the profits allocated to them for Scouting-related purchases, or does everything go into the same pot?

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Bryan on Scouting is the official blog of Scouting magazine, a Boy Scouts of America publication. Scouting magazine is published five times a year and is received by 1 million registered adult volunteers.